Frequently Asked Questions about Membership

What membership packages are available?

This financial year we will have the following membership packages

Full membership – you can access a free two hour National Standards consultation, discounts to our conference, networking events and professional development workshops and for organisations, to the Volunteer Referral Service. These are available to individuals, not-for-profit organisations and government & educational organisations

Networking package – access to all 10 networking events that are run by The Centre during the year

Private Sector Supporter – access to networking events for 2 people and other benefits

What are the benefits of becoming a member?

Free two hour National Standards consultation and Gap analysis report

Advocacy for volunteering and the not-for-profit sector

Volunteer Recruitment though our Volunteer Referral Service and website

Support letters/endorsements for grants/applications and other requests for support

Recognition and Awards Programs

Links to resources, handbooks and templates

I’m a not-for-profit and I’ve noticed a number of different membership packages – which one’s right for our organisation?

The not-for-profit membership packages are based on the total income of your organisation. Income is defined as total annual income which can be found in your organisation’s statement of profit and loss.

If your organisation has a total Annual Income between $0 – $500,000, you can apply for a “Not for Profit Small membership

If your organisation has a Total Annual Income greater than $500,000, up to $2,000,000, you can apply for a “Not for Profit Medium membership

If your organisation has a Total Annual Income is greater than $2,000,000, up to $5,000,000, you can apply for a “Not for Profit Large membership

If your organisation has a Total Annual Income is greater than $5,000,000, you can apply for a “Not for Profit Major membership

How do I apply for myself or for my organisation?

Applications are completed online. The application form will take around 10 – 15 minutes to complete.

There are four parts to the form

Membership package – where you will choose the package you want to purchase

Terms and conditions – especially important for organisation membership where you’ll be asked about the insurance requirements.

Payment option – you can indicate how you will be paying as we will have a variety of methods available.

You’ll then get to review the information you’ve provided prior to submission.

Start the online form today but don’t worry you will be able to save and resume the membership form as well!

Where would an organisation purchase insurance coverage for volunteers? Are there suggested providers?

Any insurance provider will be able to provide a quote for coverage of volunteers – they will gather specifications from you (e.g. number of volunteers, location etc) to tailor a quote for you. A suggested provider is AON, as they has no age restrictions. Some insurance companies do place age restrictions on their insurance for volunteers. You should contact your insurance provider to check whether there are any age restrictions in place.

If you need to take a time-out in filling in the membership form follow the instructions below on how to save and resume the membership form.

You require a Public Liability and Volunteer Accident certificate of currency - what are they and why do they need to be supplied?

A Certificate of Currency is a document that confirms a current policy is in place for the sums insured shown on the date that the certificate is requested. A Certificate of Currency is valid only for the day on which it is issued and represents information current at the time of your request.

Member organisations who want to use the Volunteer Referral Service are required to have these insurance policies in place, as it’s a condition of accessing this service. The reason is that it provides us with evidence of adherence to the National Standards of Involving Volunteers, developed in 2015 to “provide a framework for organisations to consider the role of volunteers within the organisation and the impact effective volunteer involvement can have on achieving the strategic goals and aims of the organisation.” (Source: The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement, Volunteering Australia). As part of the Standards, one section addresses Workplace Safety and Wellbeing and evidence of this is that “Volunteers are insured for personal injury and liability.” These two policies indicate this and provides a safeguard to the volunteers we’ll refer to you.

What happens after submitting the form?

After you submit your details, you’ll arrive at a thank you page and an invoice will be sent directly to the email address you designated online.

Example of email which will include invoice URL

Within the email, a URL is provided, which will direct you to an invoice online. From here you will have the options to pay.

How do I pay?

There are a variety of ways to pay, via PayPal, Bank Transfer/EFT and Cheque.